• On-site Cardiology clinic

    to ensure long years laughed heartly

24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM)

The Heights Medical Centre provides on-site ABPM to registered patients.

ABPM is when your blood pressure is being measured as you move around, living your normal daily life. It is normally carried over 24 hours. It uses a small digital blood pressure machine that is attached to a belt around your body and which is connected to a cuff around your upper arm. It small enough that you can go about your normal daily life and even sleep with it on.

By measuring your blood pressure at regular intervals over 24 hours, your doctor is able to get clear pictures of how your blood pressure changes throughout the day. It may be important to find out if your high blood pressure readings in the clinic are much higher than they are away from the clinic (called the “white coat effect”), to see how well your medicines are working, to make sure they are controlling your blood pressure through the day or if your blood pressure stays high at night. If this is the case, they may need to change or adjust your medicines.

How ABPM is being performed?

We fit the machine upon your pre-arranged visit. A 24-hour blood pressure measurement is practically the same as a normal blood pressure check: a digital machine takes your blood pressure by inflating a cuff around your upper arm and then slowly releasing the pressure. The machine is small enough to be worn on a belt on your waist while the cuff stays on your upper arm for the full 24 hours.

However, unlike single blood pressure measurements, an ABPM machine then takes blood pressure readings at regular intervals throughout the day; usually, every 15-30 minutes during the daytime and 30-60 minutes at night. You will need to keep the monitor on through the night – you could put the machine under the pillow or on the bed while you sleep.

Because the test is being carried out to find out what your normal daily blood pressure is, it is important to carry on with your normal routine and do all the things you would normally do. The only things you should avoid doing for the day are swimming and having a bath or shower.

At the end of the 24 hours, you are asked to visit The Heights Medical Centre and return the ABPM machine to us. The machine will have stored all your readings and these will then be analysed on-site at the The Heights Medical Centre.

For further information or book an ABPM please call us at 091 458 543.

Electrocardiography (ECG)

The Heights Medical Centre provides on-site ECG to registered patients.

ECG is a quick, simple, painless procedure in which the heart’s electrical impulses are amplified and recorded. This record, the electrocardiogram, provides useful information about the heart. ECG can show that the heart is enlarged (usually due to high blood pressure) or that the heart is not receiving enough oxygen due to a blockage in one of the blood vessels that supply the heart (the coronary arteries).

To obtain an ECG, an examiner places small sensors(electrodes) on the person’s arms, legs, and chest. These electrodes do not contain needles and are painless. These electrodes measure the magnitude and direction of electrical currents in the heart during each heartbeat. The electrodes are connected by wires to a machine, which produces a record for each electrode. The procedure usually takes 3 minutes and has no risks.

For further information or book an appointment for ECG please call us at 091 458 543.

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